A team’s MVP isn’t necessarily the team’s best player but the one player who not only excelled in their sport but pushed their teammates to be better. Their value to their team was irreplaceable and invaluable.
During the indoor track season Gosack became the sixth straight Bengal to win the men’s pole vault with his career best of 16-07.75.
Ellsworth scored 23 points this season and nine goals. She was named Big Sky co-offensive MVP and was named to the Big Sky First-Team along with her teammate, Rachel Strawn. However when Strawn went down with an injury during the season, Ellsworth stepped up and led this to team to a Big Sky Championship.
Rumble earned first-team All-Conference honors for the second straight year. After missing the first two games of the season, Rumble finished the year catching 74 passes for 1,006 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 111.8 yards a game receiving, which was the second best mark in the conference. In conference games he averaged a league-best 120.9 receiving yards a game and 8.5 receptions a contest.
This year she has been used mainly as a closer and has been able to concentrate on her hitting and the results have been phenomenal.
She holds the single-season record in home runs with 19. Fitzsimmons became one of 56 players in NCAA history to hit three home runs in a game when she did it against Utah on Feb. 15. Since 2007, only 19 players have hit three home runs in a game. She has also been ranked nationally. She is seventh in runs scored per game at 1.16, 10th in home runs per game (.40), 12th in hit by pitches per game (.40), 9th in home runs (19) and 18th in slugging percentage (.844).
Palakovich led the Bengals in three different meets this season. She was also named to her 10th All-Academic team. The women posted the third highest GPA in the nation.
The senior out of Polson, Mont. led the Bengals in four out of six tournaments.
During the indoor track season Marchand won the women’s 200m and set a school record in the 55m dash. Her outdoor season has also been successful as she set a meet record in 100m at San Francisco State and will be competing for another Big Sky Title at the Big Sky Championship Meet, which takes place on May 8-11 in Portland, Ore.
Vella became the 15th player in ISU history to score 1,000 career points. Throughout her career, Vella has recorded 1,317 points, 737 total rebounds and has the fourth most made free throws in program history with 347. She is the 12th player in program history to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in her career.
Vella led the Bengals with 12.4 points per game and 6.6 rebounds and was second on the team with 2.8 assists per game.
Hansen averaged 11.4 points a game. He shot .813 percent from the free throw line and averaged 3.5 rebounds a game and 4.3 boards in the conference. He hit a team high 69 3-pointers on the season with a career-high and single-game school record of nine vs. Montana State on Feb. 14.
Norman earned first-team all-conference in men’s tennis. It was the first time a Bengal was named first-team all-conference in men’s tennis since 2006.
Norman finished his senior season with a 12-5 record and an 8-2 mark in conference play, and 12-3 at No. 2 singles.
Jenkins has led the Idaho State men at every meet this season. He earned his first cross country victory of the season at the Color Country Invitational hosted by Southern Utah on Oct. 5.
Mendenhall was the second Bengal in program history to win the Big Sky Conference MVP trophy to junior setter. Mendenhall recorded 1201 assists and 277 digs on the season. She played in 106 sets this season.
“This wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for my team,” Mendenhall said. “They make me look good. I don’t look good without them. I always want to get better. I’m always trying to improve on the things that I’m not very good at. So every day at practice I’m picking something to get better at.”
